Cricket control in Gowanus: what to know
Gowanus is a former industrial pocket of Brooklyn wrapped around the Gowanus Canal — a federal Superfund site since 2010. Old warehouses, converted lofts, auto shops and the row houses on its Park Slope–facing streets sit over a high water table and a century of below-grade plumbing, exactly the damp, drain-heavy conditions the large oriental cockroaches New Yorkers call 'water bugs' rise up into from basements and floor drains.
The canal corridor and the neighbourhood's low, wet ground drive some of the heaviest rodent pressure in this part of Brooklyn — rats travel the canal banks, sewer lines and vacant industrial lots and push into adjoining residential blocks. Ongoing large-scale development from the 2021 rezoning disturbs established rat harbourage, which frequently sends populations searching for new shelter in nearby homes and businesses.
Ground-floor and basement units in Gowanus's converted industrial buildings and older row houses are the most exposed — old masonry, unsealed utility penetrations and moisture from the high water table give both rodents and water bugs the entry points and damp harbourage they need year-round.
Signs you need cricket control
- Chirping at night (house crickets) coming from basements or walls
- Humpbacked, long-legged crickets jumping in basements, cellars or bathrooms
- Holes or damage in stored fabric, cardboard or paper in basement storage
- Crickets concentrated in damp, dark ground-floor and below-grade areas
How we treat cricket control in Gowanus
Crickets — especially the humpbacked camel cricket (often called a 'spider cricket' or 'cave cricket') — are a common but under-treated NYC pest. They thrive in the damp basements, cellars, crawl spaces and ground-floor units that older New York buildings have in abundance, and their chirping and jumping make them especially unwelcome indoors.
Camel crickets don't chirp but they jump erratically when disturbed and feed on fabric, cardboard and stored items in basements. House crickets are drawn to warmth and light. Both signal a moisture and entry-point problem, which is why treatment that ignores the underlying conditions never holds.
Local landmarks & coverage
We serve all of Gowanus and the surrounding Brooklyn area — including Gowanus Canal, Fourth Avenue, Third Avenue, Whole Foods Gowanus, Thomas Greene Park — across ZIP codes 11215, 11217, 11231.